Made in the USA by a Bunch of Fanatics" isn't just a bunch of marketing at Lectrosonics, which has been celebrating its 40th year in 2011. It's what helped the company get its start, and the energetic engineering and pioneering spirit of innovation continue. The philosophy and business plan is simple: "Build the best product we know how to make, and support it with the best service we can possibly provide."
Founded in Albuquerque, NM in 1971, Lectrosonics' first product line was the Voice Projector. (They donated their first production unit donated to the Albuquerque Police Department.) The line consisted of several over-shoulder portable PA systems and lectern PA systems. The cabinets were made of wood, so the wood shop was larger, while circuit boards with through-hole components were hand-soldered in a smaller area.
Cordless Mikes and Amps
In 1975, the first "cordless" microphone was added, using a design commissioned from another manufacturer, but the company soon invested its own engineering resources to improve it and the final design was marketed as the Freedomike®. Wireless microphones were readily accepted and became key to the company's growth.
The "Mouse Years" began in the late 1970's. The small, battery-powered instrument amps, trademarked The Mouse®, caught on in New York City and San Francisco, where street musicians needed portability and the economy of rechargeable batteries. In Manhattan, every music store on 48th Street stocked them, and soon they were on every street corner.
Mini Mouse was a small AA battery-powered practice amp with a 6-inch speaker. Mouse was the most popular of the three, operating on rechargeable gel-cell batteries with an 8-inch speaker loud enough to be heard over Times Square street noise. Moose had an 8-inch speaker in a bigger cabinet, tuned lower for bass instruments. Later models were Maxi Mouse, with dual inputs for guitar, mic or keyboards, and Moose II for bass.
Made in the USA
Under John Arasim's management, starting in 1981, an emphasis on engineering and manufacturing began a new era in product development. While others moved offshore, Lectrosonics stayed and "made in the USA" became important. Customers liked that they could call the factory directly, and invaluable feedback led to improvements in product designs.
Lectrosonics' portable PA systems with built-in wireless mics began with the VP300, followed by the powerful Long Ranger, which became standards for auctioneers and marching band directors.
By the summer of 1988, several new products had proven successful, and the company entered new markets. Broadcast TV had adopted the plug-on transmitter and compact receiver. Lectrosonics' staff of about 30 people moved 15 miles north to a new building in Rio Rancho, NM. Along with an expanded machine shop and better equipment, a plant-wide computer network was installed and the engineering staff was increased.
Contracting
In the 1990s, Lectrosonics entered the contracting market with the MAP (Modular Audio Processor) system, a card cage design with a variety of auto-mix, signal processing and logic control modules that allowed system designers to customize.
The AM Series processors' combination of automatic mixing and matrix routing reduced acoustic feedback and background noise, and earlier objections to computer control vanished, as mix-minus signal routing became standard practice. Wireless IFB became a workhorse product in broadcast and film markets. Other new, complex products were also started, but their designs took much longer because of new technology, firmware and software.
The addition of laser sheet metal cutting, metal folding machines and three-axis milling machines improved mechanical quality and productivity. In 1999, Surface Mount Technology circuit board production was underway and, in conjunction, Automatic Test Equipment was initiated for quality control. By 2002, several years of effort began to pay off with Digital Hybrid Wireless® and DM Series processors.
New Products
Recent engineering developed SM variable power miniature transmitters, encrypted digital wireless systems, and pure digital wireless systems for use in field production and live sound. Recent introductions include the ASPEN family of advanced DSP, the revolutionary Quadra digital IEM and the HH hand-held transmitter that accepts a variety of industry standard capsules. As of last year, Lectrosonics added another 5,000-square-foot building, and the "fanatical" staff has grown to just over 160.
GEAR DEVELOPMENT:
Portable Amplifiers
The Maxi Mouse was the last in a series of "Mouse"-branded rechargeable battery-powered instrument amplifiers that were available form 1979 to 2000. The Voice Projector, Lectrosonics' original product in 1971, led to a series of lecterns and portable PA systems. The Long Ranger is the last of the line of voice amplification that was finally discontinued in 2011.
Auto Mixers/DSP
The AM6 was introduced in 1991 as an early auto-mixing product for used in installed sound applications. The AM8 was a very popular 8×1 auto-mixer introduced in 1994 and discontinued in 2007. The DM812 DSP 8×12 matrix mixer was introduced in 2003. The Aspen Trio "all-in-one" conference unit was introduced in 2009.
Portable Receivers
The Quadra IEM receiver, introduced in 2011, is a 24-bit/48 kHz, 4-channel digital wireless receiver. Lectrosonics' first professional ENG receiver, the VHF fixed frequency CR185, was introduced in 1988 and manufactured until 2009. The UCR411 was introduced in 2003 and was one of the first Digital Hybrid Wireless products (the "A" version is still Lectrosonics' flagship ENG receiver). The IFBR1a UHF analog IFB receiver was introduced in 1998 and is still in the line today. The CR195 VHF receiver (showing the internals, including helical resonators) was introduced in 1996 and discontinued in 2002. The SRa, a 2-channel "slot" receiver using Digital Hybrid Wireless technology, was introduced originally in 2008.
Studio Receivers
The R31 low-band VHF receiver was introduced in 1975 and made until 1985. The UDR200 was Lectrosonics' flagship analog UHF receiver from 1995 until 2004 and used a dual-band compandor for clean audio reproduction. The Venue Digital Hybrid modular receiver was introduced in 2004 and is still being made today. The DR185 high-band VHF diversity receiver was made from 1988 to 1997. The UDR195 high-band VHF diversity receiver, made from 1993 to 1996 is open, showing machined helical resonators.
{mosimage}Transmitters
The M33, introduced in 1984, was Lectrosonics' first plug-on transmitter. The H175DC was introduced in 1995 as a lower-cost alternative to the H185, and featured a digital code to control the receiver squelch. The UT was first introduced as an analog transmitter as the UT200 in 1995 and is still in the line today as part of the 400 Series Digital Hybrid Wireless products. The HM came out in 2008 and incorporates an "SM" style interface into the plug-on unit. The MM400C is Lectrosonics' latest in a series of watertight transmitters first introduced in 2002. The SMV "super mini" belt pack unit is the current flagship transmitter. The HH handheld unit is Lectrosonics' latest product, introduced mid-2011, featuring selectable power and industry standard thread-on capsules. The UM195 was an early UHF belt-pack transmitter, first seen in 1993. The M30 was one of the first wireless products from Lectrosonics in the mid-1970s.
